Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-04-28
PRISON PUNISHMENT.
CORRECTIVE TREATMENT OF RE-
FRAcToRY PRISONERS AT SING SING.

stringing Up Unruly Convicts by Their
wrists-The Agony Suffered by Pris-
oner in a Dark Cell-One Mans EI-
perience.
A visitor going through Sing Sing prison is
struck by a square room, comparatively
small for that place, that has q cleaner and
brighter appearance than any other room In
the entire institution, the chaplain's Office not
excepted The entrance is on a level with
the ground, the entire center is taken up with
framework of brick that is followed out on
two sides into cells, and the entire place is as
white as lime can make it. The tagged cor
ridor running around the cells is spotless and
the place is as quiet as a tomb. The cells are
perfectly bare of furniture and are for the
greater part Of the time empty. They are
doubly guarded, for besides the usual heavy
grated door they have door made of heavy
planks that sets in close to the masonry.
They are in striking contrast to the walls, for
they are painted black. A raised section OF
wood work in the center Of them admits air
into the cell through winding channels,
through which not even the faintest ray of
light can force its way. As cheerful as the
place looks to the visitor it is a bugbear to thu
prisoners, for these are the dark cells
This is one of the two forms of punishment
inflicted upon the refractory prisoners in Sing
Sing, and it is punishment so horrible that
the mere threat of dark cell carries with it
more terrors than the actual infection of the
other punishment which consists of stringing
up prisoners by their wrists The apparatus
for this is in the same building, and consists
of a piece of heavy timber about eighteen
=, tI,o&s ,l
groove In the center of the square is hook.
The victim is handcuffed and the link con-
Meeting the cuffs is slipped over this hook and
the block is raised up until the prisoners
feet leave the floor. This point is generally
signaled by q scream from the unhappy
wretch who is suspended, Principal Keeper
Connaughton said, not more than fifteen or
twenty seconds. Il have seen statements to
that effect" said he, "that blood frequently
gushes from the wrists of prisoners punished
in this way; that it often cripples them for
life; that prisoners are hung up for five and
ten minutes, and that the punishment is fire.
quently inflicted.
BUT FEW SECONDS.
&None Of these statements is true. In the
first place, no living man could stand being
strung up as long a time es that. The pun
ishment is not inflicted here once month,
and during my long experience in prison
have never known Of blood being forced
through the skin by the pressure. A short
time ago a party of visitors were shown
through here. One Of them was a man about
q years of age. He had an idea that men
were hung up by the wrists for hours at a
time. When told him that the punishment
never lasted more than few seconds he was
not inclined to believe it. l sent for pair
Of handouts, and he consented to let me
hang him up for a few seconds. Just as soon
as the strain began he cried out, and his toes
bad scarcely left the ground before he was
imploring me to let him down. There was q
faint red line around his wrists, and that was
all"
As terrible as this punishment is it Is moth
plg compared to the agonies suffered by the
prisoner who is locked up in dark cell A
young fellow was taken TO Sing Sing about
year ago to serve a five years sentence He
began his term Of Imprisonment by disobey-
ing every order given him by the keepers.
He was reasoned with, and etforts were made
to show him that he was hurting nobody as
much as he was hurting himself But he was
both lazy and vicious, and he was strung up
by the wrists The punishment kept him
straight for few days, but it was soon found
necessary to string him up again. The second
punishment seemed to have no effect, and
then he was placed in dark cell. At the ex-
piration Of few hours the door was opened,
and the young man rushed out with face as
pale as death, and shaking in every limb. He
behaved himself for week, and then fell
into his old ways again.
Il think shall have to put you in the dark
cell again." said Mr.. Connaughton to him.
"Oh, don't do that" he pleaded. please
string me up; that isn't half so frightful"
Thereafter the mere mention Of the dark
cell was so fraught with terrors that it was
enough to bring him to terms and make him
industrious and obedient